Resources
Find resources relating to:
Standards
Assessment
Instruction
Standards
The development of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) began with identifying the standards for college and career readiness (CCR). The CCSS standards are articulated in four strands; reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. These 32 CCR standards became the anchors for the rest of the document. Kindergarten through grade 12 standards were developed by backing down from the anchor standards and considering appropriate developmental progressions for each. View or download Defining College Readiness. (PDF) In this document, you will find:
Common Core Tools and Resources from Around the Country:
Departments of Education:
- Delaware - Model lessons and other instructional resources.
- Hawaii - Find a long list of CCSS resources for instruction
- Kentucky - Site includes sample aligned curriculum maps, deconstructed standards, support for professional learning, and teaching resources.
- North Carolina - Unpacked standards and other professional support.
- Oregon - Adopted CCSS and is a member of SBAC. The Oregon site includes information about state curriculum framework and proficiency diplomas.
- Rhode Island - Shift resources.
- Washington - Separates ELA areas into separate strands.
- Multiple CCSS States - Dynamic Learning Maps.
Other Organizations and Sources:
- Achieve the Core - The authors of the CCSS for both ELA and math provide free resources for implementation. Click on steal these tools!
- The Text Project - Text Project aims to bring beginning and struggling readers to high levels of literacy through a variety of strategies and tools, particularly the texts used for reading instruction. Text Complexity and CCSS is a digital learning series from the Text Project.
- The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) - Find a long list of digital resources from various organizations to support CCSS.
Assessment
Instruction
- Cognitive demand refers to theexpectation of student thinking relative to standards, instruction, and assessment. In Maine, we often use the model of cognitive demand called Depth of Knowledge (DOK) developed by Dr. Norman Webb at the University of Wisconsin. Read more about Depth of Knowledge for Four Content Areas (PDF) Norman L. Webb (2002)
- Vocabulary Applications (MS Word) - A graphic organizer for a vobaulary instructional strategy.
- readwritethink.org – NCTE and the International Reading Association host a great website with a plethora of resources for the English classroom. You will find lesson plans, professional learning, and more. Visit the site.
- Writing: Ticket to Work…or a Ticket Out is a report from the National Commission on Writing which looks at writing in the workplace. Find useful information about workplace literacy. View the report. (PDF)
- Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High School (PDF) - What comes after Reading First? Writing Next. This report includes 11 Key Elements of Writing Instruction.
- Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading (PDF) - While reading and writing are closely connected, writing is an often overlooked tool for improving reading skills and content learning. This study identifies three core instructional practices that have been shown to be effective in improving student reading.
- Peer Edit Protocol (Revised 6/25/12) (MS Word) - A model for helping students learn how to edit a partner’s paper. Modify as necessary according to your needs. This instructional tool can also be used as formative assessment.
- Reading Like a Writer (PDF | MS Word) - A guide for helping students evaluate and annotate text. This document provides a model with notes for teachers and a student template for reading short articles and passages. It may work for any grade with appropriate modification.
- The Synthesis Question - At the Spring 2008 MCELA conference, Cindy Allen of Camden Hills Regional High School and Beth Allen of Kennebunk High School presented a workshop about teaching the skills necessary to create a strong response to the AP synthesis essay prompt. These instructional strategies are applicable to anyone providing opportunity to learn how to analyze text, extract information, and use it effectively. View the PowerPoint presentation of The Synthesis Question (PPT)
- Wondering what to do Senior year in your English class? California State University has developed a high school Senior year English course based on expository reading and writing. It is organized in modules which can be downloaded online. Many (most, if not all) of the assignments do not require purchase of text books. Find more information, or visit the program website to learn more about the background of this effort including methods for identifying students who would most benefit from this Senior year experience.
ELA ListServ - The Maine ELA ListServ has been established to help provide improved communications related to the instruction of English Language Arts, the standards governing instruction, and associated issues. Through this online service, we will be able to disseminate information in a timely manner to all subscribers. Information might include, but will not necessarily be limited to, links to pertinent Web sites, supplementary training materials, and responses to questions of general interest that are submitted by subscribers. This is a free service provided by the Maine Department of Education, and requires no subscription renewal. Subscribe today!
10/29/12
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